January 14

I am on the left, my sister-in-law Kim, and Debbie is on the right

I have one sister, Debbie. We are 13 months apart and as children, we fought a great deal. One gruesome battle in our teens left us with no pantyhose to wear to church, a broken hairbrush and one scarred cousin Dexter who still dramatically tells the tale. By the time we were in college, much of that fighting seemed to have passed. We lived together for 18 months in a tiny 2 bedroom, 1 bath apartment with 4 other girls. I don’t recall fighting but I do remember many funny games of Boogle and laughing over infatuations with the pizza delivery boy.
Now, at 48, I consider Debbie to be my closest friend. There is precious little that I can’t tell her and those are things that I generally just can’t bring myself to voice aloud. Our children are very close as well and have repeated arguments with me as to whether their future children will call them by their names or will they get the title of aunt and uncle. They absolutely despise the whole concept of second cousins or first cousins, once removed.
Which is why I have such a hard time with the Rachel and Leah story. They never seemed to have left the adolescent arguing behind them and matured into friends and companions. In tomorrow’s readings, Gen 31:36 tells us that Jacob had been there 20 years. Even if Rachel was 14 or 15, she would have been 35. Yet, she and Leah were still wrangling for power. Neither seemed to rejoice when the other had a baby. I cannot imagine Debbie not being thrilled for me.
And I get that they shared a man. But he seemed largely uninvolved in the dispute. They tell him to lie with so and so, and he does it. Even if he favors Rachel more than Leah, everyone gets their babies and it seems that everyone got their own space. So why all the drama?
And what are we supposed to learn from this story? Not to be a sister-wife? (I must admit to a certain fascination with that TLC show. I have never actually watched it but it certainly seems to be sort of stupid to be on TV if you are committing about 6 felonies and stand in jeopardy of losing your million children.) I don’t think that is the answer. I think we are supposed to reflect on the destruction that holding a grudge or trying to one-up one another will do. We will continue to see the ripple effects in the Joseph story. Who in your life are you trying to outdo?

NT Look at vs 7-8. What a mission statement! To the point. I did not realize that Jesus had given the disciples the power to raise the dead. I know it happens in Acts with Peter and Paul, but I thought those were really special acts. I especially love that he wants this to be done because they HAVE ALREADY RECEIVED THEIRS. Do we think about this when we do mission work?
I help with the funeral luncheons and one little old lady told me that she did the luncheons so that when she died, she would get one for herself and it would be nice. I hugged her and told her that she had already more than earned her luncheon with all her church work over the years. Yes, she said, but folks forget. I think we have already gotten the luncheon, dinner and the after-dinner drink. We have received ABUNDANTLY God’s mercy and grace. It shines all over us. It is up to us to reflect that back into a world that desperately needs to see the Light of God. It has always been so, according to our Psalm but it surely seems that right now, loads of people are hurting in so many different ways.

After today’s reading, we will have finished 1/26th of the Bible. Give yourself a huge pat on the back and continue to stay in the Word. Many thanks to all who have stopped me at church or emailed to say they are reading but not ready to comment. The reading is the most important thing. May God bless us on our journey.